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care psychological services involving DHCs and ICCMWs, ranging from self-help and
active monitoring provided by their GP network to interventions of low/high-intensity
provided by trained mental health workers in the community. To ensure sufficient
capacity for services at higher steps, the Government should consider leveraging
counsellors to provide a steady manpower supply offering high-intensity therapy
and clearly listing the qualifications necessary to provide these services. In parallel,
the Government should consider elements that contribute to sustainable stepped
care psychological services, such as subsidising the cost of training courses and
recognising/accrediting non-CP psychological professionals.

Figure C. Envisioned stepped care psychological therapies for
Hong Kong

Examples of ideal service providers:
Step 4
Specialist
mental health Psychiatrist /
clinical psychologist
services
Step 3 Counsellor /
trained social worker
High-intensity therapy
Step 2 Psychological well-being officer /
Low-intensity therapy occupational therapist
Step 1 All mental health professionals
Self-help & active monitoring (particularly GPs/FMs)

Social workers, as a key professional in Hong Kong’s mental health system, carry
the expectation of providing evidence-based psychological interventions in addition
to basic counselling to persons with mental health conditions in various settings,
such as ICCMWs. Beyond training up paraprofessionals to provide interventions, the
Government should also upskill and nurture social workers’ professional competency
to cater to the surging demand for evidence-based psychological interventions.
Often times, the medical nature of mental health, which manifests in complex social
problems, is not something that social workers with basic training are trained to
provide support for. To better support social workers, the Social Workers Registration
Board (SWRB) should consider incentivising social workers to receive training to
provide evidence-based psychological interventions, such as through training
recognition. Conversely, trained social workers should be leveraged in existing
service settings, such as ICCMWs and social service units for at-risk groups.

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